The Malappuram police on Friday arrested a person in connection with the attack on an Ayyappa temple situated in the Edayur panchayat in the district. The arrest was registered at the Valanchery police station and an official from the police station has identified the accused as 50-year-old Ramakrishnan, a native of CK Para village in Malappuram.

As per reports, the Naga statues in the Ayyappa temple were demolished and human excreta were dumped in plastic covers inside the temple. According to a police official at the Valanchery police station, this act of vandalism was done by a single person. Ramakrishnan has been arrested under Sections 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage reli­gious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or reli­gious beliefs.) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

“As far as we have understood, this crime was done with the intention to cause communal discord in the society. The act was done only by a single person. Ramakrishnan was also taken to the site of the crime to record his statements and he will be further questioned on Saturday,” says the police official.

According to news reports, another person, identified as Rajan, the brother of a BJP leader in Malappuram was also taken into custody. However, the police told TNM that Rajan used to work with Ramakrishnan and he was taken into custody only to find out whether he knew anything about the attack or whether Ramakrishnan had told him anything about it. “When we realised that Rajan did not know anything, we immediately let him go,” added the police.

According to a report by Dool News, following the attack of the temple, the Hindu Aikya Vedi, a Hindu organisation in the state of Kerala, had also conducted a demonstration in the area where the temple was located during which they had said allegedly made communally inciting statements.